The Newest Member of the Family
Twilight Sparkle sat on a cushion in her library, pouring over a book. The lavender horn that adorned her head was glowing gently as she used her unicorn magic to turn the pages as she saw fit. Upstairs, she could hear her mate, Sir Panja, trying for a fifth time that week to make dinner. Since he had insisted that she was "in no fit condition" to cook for the time being, he had been trying to take matters into his own hooves. This had resulted in several minor explosions, a good deal of order-in meals, and many, many burned dishes. She chuckled to herself at the the sound. Just because I'm going to be a mom any day now doesn't mean I'm not capable of cooking. It was true, Twilight and her mate were indeed expecting a foal. Her sides were rounded to the extremes, several days past the expected date of birth, and causing her a lot of troublesome extra weight. No matter, though. She and her husband couldn't possibly be more excited to meet their new baby colt or filly. They weren't the only ones: Twilight's friends, namely Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, were all dying to see him or her as well. "Nothing calls for a party more than a new baby!" Pinkie had squealed at least ten times a week since the day Twilight had discovered she was expecting. Yeah, as if you haven't already thrown me the baby shower to end all baby showers, Pinkie. Right around then, Twilight's life-long dragon companion, Spike, came strolling down the stairs. "Uhhh, Twilight?" She didn't even need to ask. "What's happened this time?" Spike pointed upward with his claw. "Panja set the kitchen on fire." Twilight put the book down and looked up, alarmed. "He what?!" -- Ten minutes later, a combination of Twilight's magic, Panja's magic, and Spike's water-fetching skills had successfully extinguished the inferno that had been roaring away, and any damage it had done was repaired. All three of them slumped against the fall, panting, Twilight wincing slightly due to her persistent backache. "Panja, Sweetie, I love you to itty bitty little pieces, but I think it's clear that cooking is definitely not your thing." Twilight said "Now I don't care if I'm pregnant or not, from now on, that is the mare's job." "Alright, Twi, all right." Twilight turned to her assistant. "Spike, place in an order at Chef Sicily's. I say tonight is pizza night." "But it's lunchtime..." said Panja. "I'm on it!" said Spike, clearly excited to get his dragon fangs on a slice of one of Chef Sicily's Equestria-famous pizza pies. As he scampered away to collect a quill and a sheet of parchment for the order, Twilight let out an unexpected gasp and lurched forward, as if something had unexpectedly hurt her. "What's wrong, Darling?" Asked Panja, his ears perking up. "Foal's kicking." she said, putting a hoof on her bulging belly. Panja put his hoof on her's and smiled. She smiled back. They'd felt many kicks from the unborn foal before, but it never ceased to be a magical feeling. "Got the order ready!" shouted Spike excitedly, running into the room and brandishing the page of parchment. "Just tell me what you both want! Oh, but please make at least one-fourth of it have tourmaline on it, that stuff on pizza is just heavenly." "Sure thing." said Twilight. "Make my quarter pineapple with celery slices." said Panja. "Okay, got it," said Spike scribbling away on the parchment "And my quarter has tourmaline, so that leaves...wait, Twilight gets a whole half?" "I'm eating for two now, Spike." "Right, yeah. So what would you like?" Twilight thought for a minute. "Make mine one slice alfalfa with peas and pumpkin seeds, two slices garlic and welsh onion, and the remaining slices sweet potato with extra- Ah-hah, AH!" "Got it, got it...so that last half is sweet potato with extra painful exclamations, no problem at all..." "Spike!" said Twilight. "What? It's what you ordered." "No, Spike, it's not..." She was rubbing her belly, letting the ache go away. Slowly, realization dawned over her face. She looked up at her husband. "Panja, I don't think that was another kick. I don't think that last one was one either." "You mean..." She nodded. "It's time." Spike looked blankly between the two ponies, then his chartreuse eyes widened. "You mean the-the foal? It-it's coming...now?" Twilight rose to her hooves, straining under the weight of her stomach. "Yeah, Spike." Panja out a hoof on her shoulder. "Okay, Twilight, don't panic. I'll-I'll get us to PonyVille Urgent Care and-and you'll be just fine-at least, I-I think you will...Just, uh, hold still so I can wink us out of here, and..." "Panja, you're asking me not to panic? It's not even safe to wink me in or out of anywhere, just go get a cab!" "Oh, right, yeah, I'll just...just go get my wallet and then my keys...oh wait, you don't need keys for carriages..." "SIR PANJA LANCELOT CAESAR, JUST GET US A DARN CAB ALREADY!" Panja cantered to the door without any more hesitation.. "Man, your husband seems a little...anxious." Spike observed. -- When they finally made it to the urgent care center, they were immediately greeted by Nurse Redheart, a white mare with her pastel pink mane tied into a bun. "May I help you?" she asked Panja. "P-please..." Panja was shaking, sweat beading behind the fur on his face "My wife, s-she's...she..." Nurse Redheart looked behind him into the cab. Twilight was curled up on the seat, struggling against the ever increasing pain while Spike sat beside her and tried to comfort her, gently stroking her indigo mane. Nurse Redheart understood immediately. "Bring her in." In no time at all, Twilight was lying down on a comfortable straw bed, waiting until she was ready to give birth to the foal. The doctor said it would be quite a while, so she had nothing to worry about at the present time. "Breathe nice and easy, Twi," said Panja as another labor pain made her cry out. "You'll be okay, I promise." Twilight rolled onto her side, her flank heaving in and out from her heavy breathing, trying to get as relaxed as she could. "Can...can you do me a...a favor?" "Anything, Love." "Can you please tell Spike to...send a message to my friends?" Panja's ear twitched. "You mean AppleJack? And Rarity? And,-" "Yes, them." -- The first of her friends to stop in for a visit was Fluttershy, followed closely behind by her mate, Kimba, though he kept outside. She too was expecting as foal, as evident by the slight bulge in her belly, but it would be months before she gave birth. "Hey, Twilight." She set the bouquet of flowers she had brought on the stand by the bed. "I came as soon as a I heard the news. I'm so happy for you!" "H-hey Fluttershy." Twilight sat up and managed a smile "How's it goin'?" "Oh, it's going just fine. It's you that I'm worried about." Twilight chuckled mildly. "Aw, don't be. I've read countless books about what to do when you're having a foal, so I think I will be just fi-fi-AHHH!" She winced as another pain seared through her belly. They were getting longer and more painful as each one passed. "Oh, you poor thing,..." said Fluttershy sympathetically, patting her mane. "Does it really hurt that much?" Yes, thought Twilight, it really did, but since she knew Fluttershy would have to endure the very same thing soon and didn't want to scare her, she had to fib. "N-no, no...It's okay, Fluttershy, it's no that...that bad..." Fluttershy nuzzled her. "Want me to hold your hoof?" "Aw, Fluttershy..." Twilight already had Panja reserved for that job, but she couldn't help but be touched by her friend's kind offer. Right around then, her second visitor arrived. "Howdy there, Twa'. Heard yer kid is finally on it's way." It was Applejack. Unlike Fluttershy, her mate wasn't present, probably because he was busy at the farm. "Hey AJ." The contraction was over, so she managed to greet her friend more warmly. "You feelin' okay, Honeh'?" she asked "I've worked with the critters on Sweet Apple Acres long enough to know that birthin' ain't fun to do." Twilight shrugged. "What doesn't kill me will make me stronger, I guess." "Oh, Twilight, please don't say things like that." said Fluttershy, looking very worried. The door opened again. Twilight looked up, expecting to see another one of her friend, but the stallion that was standing there wasn't somebody she knew. He was a tall and broad shouldered unicorn, with pale green fur and a shaggy black mane. His eyes were deep brown and his face was very warm and kindly. "Good evening, Fillies and Sir," His voice was low and gentle "I am Doctor Funnybone. May I ask which of you is Mrs. Sparkle?" Twilight weakly raised her hoof. The doctor walked over beside the bed. "I'm a foalbirth assistant here, I'll be here to help with the delivery of your baby." "It's very nice to meet you!" she said politely, raising a hoof for him to shake, though he never got a chance because another pain struck. Dr. Funnybone turned to Panja, who still seemed very anxious. "How long has she been having contractions?" Panja thought hard. "Since...since..." "Since about 7:30" said a voice from the door. It was Spike, who had been busy raiding the vending machine in the waiting rooms. "I remember because that was the time I missed out on having," He stared dramatically into the distance, raising his closed fist as if remembering a long-since-deceased friend, "Tourmaline...pizza..." Dr. Funnybone chuckled lightly, then turned back to his patient. "So about an hour, then. Is this your first child?" Both Twilight and Panja nodded. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but you probably have much longer to go. But don't worry, we'll take care of everything. Both you and your foal are going to be just fine." -- Another hour passed in a blur of agony and tension. The spasms of pain was growing slowly more and more intense, but Panja holding tightly to her hoof and Fluttershy whispering words of comfort while gently rubbing her back made it bearable. "Ohhhh..." Twilight moaned as a particularly excruciating contraction made the constant ache in her belly even worse. "It's okay, Twilight," Fluttershy soothed "You're doing just fine." Twilight lay her head against her husband's neck, feeling relief in his warm red fur. He nuzzled her, and she was quite surprised to feel him shaking. She looked up. "Panja, what...what's wrong?" "Ain't it obvious?" said Applejack, who was leaning against the wall "He's scared outta his cowchips abou' you." Twilight was quite touched. "Aw, Panja, you shouldn't-" The door flung open again, making them all jump. "TWILIGHT!" cried a very familiar, very dramatic voice. Rarity, freshly shined hooves and all, galloped head on into the room and flung herself at Twilight, causing her a lot of unnecessary pain. "Oh, I was so worried I would be late! Are you alright?! Have you been breathing properly?! Do you want me to get you anything?!" "Getting off of me would be nice..." "Oh...right..." She released her, then gave her a big smile. "I'm sorry, I'm just simply delighted that your little boy is finally on his way!" "Boy? How do you know it's going to be a- Owwww-...a boy?" "Pinkie Pie's front left fetlock started to get cold. She told me that means your foal is going to be a wonderful little colt. Either that, or it simply means you're going to eat a hayseed sandwich tomorrow morning." "We'll see...Wait, Pinkie Pie is here?" "Not that I am aware of, although I did meet her on the way here. That was when she told me of her Pinkie Sense's prediction, though I was in far too much of a hurry to stay and chat." "I bet all my bits she was on her way here." said Spike. Rarity seemed to notice for the first time that Spike was present. "Oh, Spikey Wikey, it's so good to see you!" she squealed, cantering over to give him a squeeze. "H-hey, Rarity..." he said, his cheeks going red. "Oh, that reminds me!" Her horn glowed, and, seemingly from nowhere, she pulled up a hoofstitched stuffed animal. It was a life-size plushie of Spike, replicated down to the very last detail, with huge green buttons for eyes. "It's a present for you and your new little angel." She heaved a happy sigh "Oh, I cannot wait to meet him." "Wow, Rarity, I love it!" Spike examined it closely. "Am I really that fat?" Rarity gave him a look. "Uh, I mean, it's perfect, Rarity! Heh, not that I'd expect anything different from you, of course, heheh..." He twisted his tail nervously. Not long after this, Dr. Funnybone reentered the room. "Ah, good evening friends and relations of Mrs. Sparkle. I'm sorry, but I must request some privacy. Mr. Panja, you should stay." There were groans of protest, but everyone obeyed. "C'mon now, ya'll, Doctor's orders." said Applejack, ushering everyone out. Dr. Funnybone looked back at the couple. "Mr. Panja, Mrs. Sparkle, we have some news about your child from the internal examination." Fear immediately spread over both of their faces. "Is the baby alright?!" they both asked at the same time. "Oh, yes, yes, the foal is perfectly healthy, has a strong heartbeat and everything. The only problem is, it's in a breech position." "What's that mean?" asked Panja. Twilight, who had done her research, answered him before the doctor could. "It means he or she is coming out backwards, tail first instead of head first." She sounded peeved, as if the doctor had just told her that they'd run out of her favorite ice cream. "Is that...bad?" "Well," said Dr. Funnybone "Neither of them are in any danger, and as far as we can see, everything should go along normally. However, it is going to case you a lot of pain during your labor, and make an exceptionally difficult delivery." Panja's hoof curled harder around his wife's. "Now, you shouldn't worry too much. This isn't an uncommon problem, and it's no more life threatening than any other birth. And the foal is, as I said before, in perfect condition. Just...be prepared." -- The moment the doors were reopened to let the visitors back in, Twilight and Panja nearly had simultaneous heart attacks. "SURPRI-ISE!!!" Pinkie Pie had, in what seemed to have been only minutes, completely decked the outside room with party decorations. Pink and blue streamers were attached to the wall, balloons hovered on the ceiling, and at least five tons of confetti were blown into the air with a canon-like bang. "HAPPY ACTUAL BIRTHDAY, TWILIGHT JUNIOR!!!!" She started to squeal away in that incredibly fast voice of her's. "I'm so happy for you, Twilight! Are you happy, cuz I'm happy! I'm happier than an armadillo on a ferris wheel!" She sprang through the air, then fell flat on her face. She got up again, none the worse for wear, and started to spring energetically in place. "So when can I see him?! I know it's a him, because my fetlock was cold! It was my left fetlock, so it couldn't possibly be a filly! Unless, of course, you're having a hayseed sandwich tomorrow, but, c'mon what are the chances of that, right?" "Pinkie Pie...," Twilight groaned "You do know the baby isn't here yet, right?" Pinkie Pie immediately stopped bouncing, frozen in midair. "He's not?" She fell to the ground. "Does it look like he is?" She gestured at her aching, but still enormous belly. Pinkie Pie seemed genuinely surprised, and the tiniest bit disappointing. "Aw, how come nopony told me?" "We trahed to tell yeh, Missy." said Applejack, who was walking into the room removing the party hat Pinkie had forced her in. "You were just too busy spazzmatically beautifying the room to listen." said Rarity "And tangerine, really? Everyone knows that anything even remotely orange isn't my color..." "Oh...well, then I guess the party will have to be set back a couple minutes!" "OW-www...m-minutes?" Twilight wheezed. "Yeah! Or an hour, at the most, I don't want to keep anypony waiting too long." "Uhhh, Pink?" said Applejack slowly "Not to burst yer bubblegum or nuthin', but havin' kids takes a bit longer then that." "Aw, how much longer? I wanna get this party started!" "A long tahme, most like." "Poor Twilight is probably going to be here all night." said Fluttershy sadly, patting her friend's mane. "ALL NIGHT?!?" Pinkie sounded horrified. "But, but that's way too long! You can't postpone a new baby celebration party for an entire night! New babies call for the best parties in existence!" "Now now, Pinkie, I know you're anxious to meet Twilight's little foal," said Rarity "All of us are. But the poor dear isn't in any condition to party at the moment. You're just going to have to be patient." Pinkie Pie's ears and head drooped, her bottom lip sticking out. She sighed. "Fine." -- That night was the longest one Twilight and Panja ever stayed up through. Each of Twilight's friend took turns holding her hoof, letting her release as much pain as she could through it, until eventually Rarity swore she was going to have bruises for entire week and Applejack took over for her. Twilight was completely restless, sometimes curling up in a ball, sometimes sitting up letting Panja rub her back, sometimes actually standing up to walk off the ache. Sometimes she was writhing and squirming, and sometimes she was completely still. The pain in her belly grew steadily worse, the contractions getting closer and closer, getting more severe every time. Twilight groaned, whimpered, and occasionally screamed, wishing with all her heart for it to stop. She'd read in the books that labor pains were intense, but she could never imagine anything being this intense. But everytime she thought she could bear it no longer, Panja would kiss her sweaty forehead and tell her he loved her. And that gave her the strength to go on. Every so often, the doctor would come in to check on her, see how things were going, and how long it would be until the foal was here. Every time he came in, Twilight silently pleaded for him to tell her that it was over, but no such luck. It was always "Not yet, Ma'am" or "Soon, Mrs. Sparkle, just breathe". Midnight came, and midnight left, but none of the others showed signs of being tired. By then, somebody had to stay by Twilight's side at all times, talking her through each contraction. "You're doing great, Mrs. Sparkle" said Dr. Funnybone about an hour afterwards "The foal should be here in just a few hours. Oh, and you have another visitor." Twilight couldn't greet anybody at this point, so Applejack answered the door. "Rainbow Dash!" she swung an arm around her neck and tousled her multi-colored mane "Howdy there, gal, I thought you weren't gonna show!" "Yeah, hey guys." She heaved a huge yawn "Sorry I'm late, I was just hanging out with my new coltfriend." "Coltfriend?!" said almost everyone in the room. (Twilight was in too much pain to care.) "Oh, my dear girl, that's wonderful!" cried Rarity "Oh, do tell me about him! Is he handsome? Is he rich? Is he handsome?" "He-yeah! He's the hottest pony you ever laid eyes on. And he's super cool, too, you should've seen-" "AAAAAAGHHHH!" Rainbow Dash's head whipped away from the excited crowd. "Twilight!" In all the commotion of the news of her newly updated love life, she'd nearly forgotten what she'd come there for. She galloped over to her friend and grabbed her shoulder. "Twilight, are, are you okay?" "NO!!!" Twilight screamed, pain shooting through her stomach. Rainbow pulled her hoof out of Fluttershy's and squeezed it. When the contraction ended, Rainbow gave her a friendly smile "Hang in there, T, I know you can do this. My sister-in-law had a kid last week, and she's a complete wimp. If she can do it, then I know you can." -- Panja had used Rainbow Dash's entry as an opportunity to escape and go into the waiting room. He just couldn't bear to see his beloved Twilight in that much pain. He sat down in a chair and hid his face glumly into his hooves, trying to stifle out the sound of his wife. It was silly, but he felt a sort of guilt, since, in a way, all this pain she was going through was his fault. What if she doesn't make it? Who's gonna help me take care of the baby? And what if the ''baby doesn't make it? Twilight would be crushed...For that matter, so would I...Or if there's something wrong with it? What if-'' "You okay, Dude?" Panja looked up. Sir Kimba, Fluttershy's mate and one of Panja's best friends, had walked over to him and was looking at him with concern. "I did this to her..." Kimba laughed. "Funny, usually it's the mare who curses out the husband for causing her pain when she's giving birth." Panja knew he looked pathetic, but at the moment, he didn't care. "It's okay, Big guy," Panja patted him on the shoulder "Twilight's tougher than you think. You're lucky to have her as your wife, you know." Panja smiled a bit. Right around then, a loud bang sounded as the doors to the hospital here flung open. Two unicorns, one blue and one white, came galloping in, looking frantic. At first, Panja didn't recognize them, but as the white one passed by, he saw the starry purple cutie mark. Twilight's parents, his in-laws... Both of them came barreling into the room containing their daughter and her friends. Their presence was met with clear joy and excitement, especially from Twilight, who had been worried they weren't going to show up. Twilight's mother stayed in there for quite a while, but eventually her father stepped out. He stood before his son-in-law, giving him a subtly antagonistic look. "Sir Panja." he said. "Mr. Twilight." he replied. Mr. Twilight held up a hoof, which he shook firmly but briefly. "Take care of my little filly." he said "You'll find yourself stuck in quite a pickle in being forgiven if any harm comes to her." "Understood." He gave him one last look, then he and his wife went to another room to sit. After who-knows-how-long, Applejack opened the door, followed by all the other mares, and Spike. "Twahligh' wants you, Panja." she said. "She's askin' fer ya." Panja straightened up, and entered. The sight he saw just about broke his heart. Twilight had finally been reduced to tears, sobbing and moaning into her pillow as she clung to it, quietly begging his name. Panja sat down on the bed, steadying himself against the wall, and held her. She curled up, buried her face deep into him, and continued to howl. "I'm here, Twi..." he said gently "You're doing wonderful." "It hurts so bad..." she sobbed. "I know it does, Twi, I know it does..." "...P...p-panja?" "Yes?" "I-I'm...I'm s-scared, Panja. I'm...I'm s-so scared..." "Everything will be fine, Darling. Didn't I promise, a long time ago, that I'd never live to see the day that something happen to you? I'm not going to break that promise anytime soon." Twilight managed the tiniest smile. This was why she loved her husband so much... -- Finally, when the first rays of dawn were just peaking over the horizon, Dr. Funnybone made the announcement: "Alright, Ma'am, it's time." Panja's ears perked up. "It's over?" "N-no, Panja" croaked Twilight "I wish it...I wish it was..." "She's ready to deliver now." said Dr. Funnybone "Only another hour or so more." Both of the soon-to-be parents groaned. An hour seemed so far away... By this point, most of the visitors in the waiting room were asleep, curled up in chairs, but when Twilight was being transported into the delivery room, a terrible, heart-gutting scream woke them up. "What's going on?!" "Twilight, what's the matter?!" "Ah think Twahligh's nearly done," said Applejack, having knowledge on this scenario "It's just time fer, uh...the fun part." "Oh, poor Twilight..." whispered Fluttershy, sounding close to tears. Panja galloped along side his wife all the way there, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you so much, Darling. Be brave for me." "P-p-Panja?" "What is it?" "W-will you...will you stay with me in there? I...I-I can't do this without you..." He held onto her hoof tightly. "I will Twilight, I will." Category:Stories